Drain plugs

ABSTRACT

A drain plug, more particularly for a sanitary appliance, having an upper portion and a lower portion capable of being moved towards each other whereby to clamp the wall of the appliance responsively to mere rotation of a threaded ring engaging with a screw-thread formed on said upper portion, said ring being fast with said lower portion but being capable of leaktight rotation without axial displacement with respect thereto.

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[ Mar. 12, 1974 DRAIN PLUGS Inventor: Aurora Constantinesco lKempler, 5,

Maurice Barres, La Varenne, France Filed: July 16, 1971 Appl. N0.: 163,301

Foreign Application Priority Data July 20, 1970 France 70.26605 US. Cl 4/287, 4/288, 4/295, 285/276 Int. Cl. A6lj 19/00 lField of Search 4/286, 287, 288, 295, 189; .285/276 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Judall et al. 4/288 Lyons 285/276 Clark 4/287 1,690,482 11/1928 Friedrich 4/287 1,773,547 8/1930 Robertson 4/287 2,468,315 4/1949 Wagner 285/276 2,743,963 5/1956 Peeps 285/276 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 446,005 3/1949 Italy 4/288 47,501 7/1966 Germany 4/286 Primary Examiner1-Ienry K. Artis Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Eric H. Waters [57] ABSTRACT A drain plug, more particularly for a sanitary appliance, having an upper portion and a lower portion capable of being moved towards each other whereby to clamp the wall of the appliance responsively to mere rotation of a threaded ring engaging with a screwthread formed on said upper portion, said ring being fast with said lower portion but being capable of leaktight rotation without axial displacement with respect thereto.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures DRAIN PLUGS The present invention relates to drain plugs for sinks, vats, wash-bowls, bidets, baths and similar appliances.

Drain plugs used in the prior art include a lower portion positioned underneath the appliance and an upper portion which bears the plug proper and which extends through a circular hole in the appliance before screwing into said lower portion. The difficulties inherent in this type of screw connection are well known and stem mainly from the absence of purchase on the valvebearing upper portion. Furthermore, rotation of this portion often causes the rubber seal to be moved out of position, causing a possible loss of leaktightness.

Lastly, the operation must be performed in successive stages in order to ensure that the tube through which the valve actuating rod extends is properly orientated.

In accordance with the present invention, these disadvantages are averted by preventing all rotation of the upper portion relative to the lower portion of the plug assembly. The lower portion is accordingly devoid of screw threads of any kind engaging with the upper portion, and the screw thread in the upper portion engages with a thread formed in an independent ring which is so attached to the lower portion as to be capable of rotating butnot of translating in relation thereto, said ring being formed with external flats or any convenient means for enabling it to be rotated by means of a wrench.

The description which follows with reference to the accompanying non-limitative drawings will give a clear understanding of how the invention can be carried into practice.

In the drawings FIG. 1 shows a first form of embodiment, partly in axial section and partly in side elevation;

FIG. 2 depicts a detail in section and FIG. 3 shows correspondingly to FIG. 1 a second possible embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a drain plug comprising, in the usual way, an upper portion 1 which is extended downwardly by a threaded tube 2, and a lower portion 3 to which is connected the drain pipe'4.

In accordance with this invention, the threaded tube 2 engages solely with the screw threaded formed in a ring 5 which engages bodily into a flared part 6 of lower portion 3 and reacts against the rim of said lower portion via a flange 7 formed with flats on said ring. Ring 5 is formed with two grooves 8 and 9 (FIGS. l and 2). Groove 8 receives an 0-ring 10 for ensuring leaktightness between ring 5 and the flared part 6, and groove 9 receives a circlip 11 which engages elastically thereinto and at the same time into a circular groove 12 formed in flared'part 6. Ring 5 is thus able to rotate freely in relation to flared part 6 but cannot move axially.

A plug assembly devised in the above-described manner is fitted as follows the upper portion 1 is positioned above the drain hole in the appliance to be equipped, with its threaded tube 2 extending therethrough in the usual manner and with a sealing ring (not shown) provided in between in accordance with the usual practice.

The lower portion 3 having then been positioned beneath the appliance and a sealing ring (not shown) fitted between the appliance and flange 7, ring 5 is screwed on to tube 5 with the help of a wrench, without rotating either the tube or the lower portion 3, until the two above-mentioned sealing rings are compressed against the appliance.

The alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 3 differs from the above-described embodiment only in that the flared part 6 is eliminated, the ring 5 having its lower part 5a engaging externally over lower portion 3 and its upper threaded part 5b forming an extension of lower portion 3. The O-ring l0 and the circlip 9 are in this case positioned between the outer surface of lower portion 3 and the inner surface of ring 5a.

It goes without saying that changes and substitutions may be made in the forms of embodiment hereinbefore described without departing from the scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. A drain plug adapted particularly for use in a sanitary appliance, comprising in combination; an upper plug portion adapted to extend through a drain hole in said appliance; an externally threaded lower tube being fastened to and depending from said upper plug portion; a lower plug portion adapted to be positioned below said upper plug portion in coaxial alignment therewith; a seal-compressing ring for tightening said drain plug on said appliance communicating between said upper and lower plug portions, said ring having an internally threaded segment engaging the external thread on said lower tube; and annular means extend ing between said ring and said lower plug portions for permitting relative rotation while concurrently restraining axial motion between said ring and said lower plug portion whereby rotational movement imparted to said ring for moving the latter along the threaded lower tube is adapted to lockingly engage said upper and lower plug portions.

2. A plug as claimed in claim ll, comprising an O-ring seal interposed between said ring and said lower plug for forming a sealing connection therebetween.

3. A plug as claimed in claim 1, said ring and said lower plug portions each having a complementary annular groove formed therein, said annular means comprising a circlip extending into said grooves so as to permit relative rotation between said ring and lower plug portion whilerestraining axial motion therebetween.

4I. A plug as claimed in claim 1, comprising external means formed on said ring providing a surface for cooperative engagement with a tightening wrench.

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1. A drain plug adapted particularly for use in a sanitary appliance, comprising in combination; an upper plug portion adapted to extend through a drain hole in said appliance; an externally threaded lower tube being fastened to and depending from said upper plug portion; a lower plug portion adapted to be positioned below said upper plug portion in coaxial alignment therewith; a seal-compressing ring for tightening said drain plug on said appliance communicating between said upper and lower plug portions, said ring having an internally threaded segment engaging the external thread on said lower tube; and annular means extending between said ring and said lower plug portions for permitting relative rotation while concurrently restraining axial motion between said ring and said lower plug portion whereby rotational movement imparted to said ring for moving the latter along the threaded lower tube is adapted to lockingly engage said upper and lower plug portions.
 2. A plug as claimed in claim 1, comprising an O-ring seal interposed between said ring and said lower plug for forming a sealing connection therebetween.
 3. A plug as claimed in claim 1, said ring and said lower plug portions each having a complementary annular groove formed therein, said annular means comprising a circlip extending into said grooves so as to permit relative rotation between said ring and lower plug portion while restraining axial motion therebetween.
 4. A plug as claimed in claim 1, comprising external means formed on said ring providing a surface for cooperative engagement with a tightening wrench. 